Katherine Bickford

Gooseneck barnacles (Pollicipes polymerus), also called stalked barnacles or goose barnacles, are filter-feeding crustaceans that live attached to hard surfaces of rocks in the intertidal zone. They are found only on exposed or moderately exposed coasts as they depend on water motion for feeding.

The shell, or capitulum, grows to be about 2 inches long. It is made up of small plates which enclose its soft body. Inside the shell, the barnacle primarily consists of long segmented legs, intestines, and stomach. The gonads are held within the stalk. The stalk also contains the gland which is used to produce the adhesive that allows barnacles to attach to rocks so well. Gooseneck barnacle can reach up to 8 inches in length

In Canada, gooseneck barnacles are largely found in Clayoquot Sound, off the west coast of Vancouver Island. They were exported to Spain from Canada until 1999, when the Canadian government ceased exports due to depletion of stocks.

Velella velella at Long Beach

Also known as sea raft, by-the-wind sailor, purple sail, or little sail because of the sails on their backs, Velella velella are small carnivorous animals related to jellyfish that live on the surface of the water, normally hundreds of miles offshore.

They can’t swim, so their movements are dictated by wind, and they are sometimes blown ashore on the west coast of Vancouver Island during periods of sustained strong westerly winds.

Velella velella is a monospecific genus of hydrozoa in the Porpitidae family. Its only known species is Velella velella.